The Hey Baby Days

Friday, July 12, 2013

Charles
Pope gets his ticket to “The Party To End All Parties” in The Heeey Baby Days
joining Wayne Loqiudice and Ray Whitley at the gala. (See foot note regarding
The Party To End All Parties)

According
to my Inbox, Diane Cottle-Pope’s call came in at 4:53 this morning. I knew even
before I listened to the message that it had to do with Charles
“Speedy” Pope younger brother of Joe Pope and Otis Pope. I don’t think he had
others. Charles Pope had died the previous afternoon. It was a great loss to the ever-dwindling
group of entertainers that created Beach Music. Just in the last couple of
months we lost others including Wayne Loqiudice and Ray Whitley.

Wayne
was lead singer for The Kommotion, an Atlanta band in the 60s that had an army of
incredible musicians (see band directory at www.heybabydays.com.) We regret we didn’t include more in the
Hey Baby Days about this talented band who had a great cover of “The Little Black
Egg” It took me a while to learn to spell his name but anyone that ever saw
Wayne on stage remembered him. Back
in the day when it came to stage demeanor show and dance, many say he could hold his own with Joe
Tex and James Brown and is sometimes compared with Wayne Cochran of CC Rider
fame

If
one ever gets around to listing the all time great composers of what we refer
to as Beach Music, the name Ray Whitley will be up near the top with Norman
Johnson and others. What a family of greats came out of that old school house
in Brookhaven Georgia known Master Sound. Whitley co-wrote the Tams’ hit “Be
Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy” with one of the original Classics IV, J.R. Cobb.

Whitley
wrote most of the Tams’ major hits including “What Kind of Fool”, “I’ve Been
Hurt”, “Hey Girl, Don’t Bother Me”, “Laugh It Off”, “Too Much Fooling Around” and
one of the more underrated songs of the Tams’ “Dancing Mood.” In the world of Reggae,
“Dancing Mood” is almost a national anthem that many think was written by
Delroy Wilson as he made it a major Reggae hit. Little credit is accorded its author, Ray
Whitley. May he rest in peace.

I
first met Charles Pope in 1968 when I first engaged the fabulous Tams Revue for
one of the many big four-hour shows and dances that we would have over the next couple of years.

Charles
always loved telling me back in the day that the “Tams were making me rich.” or
“You’re getting rich off the Tams, ain’t you?” Fellow Tam Horace “Sonny” Key
loved to tell people “we are sending Greg to college.” Easy to think such when
the Tams’ were packing the various venues where we promoted the “World Famous”
Tams and their 17-piece revue. No kiddin’ those really were the days! The Tams were the South’s equivalent of the Four Tops and Temptations. "According to Charles and Otis, Motown was interested in adding the group to its stable of R&B greats.

It
seems like yesterday when I sat in the Jonesboro home of Diane and Charles Pope
reminiscing with Charles and Otis about the glory days. Older brother, Otis,
was the road manager for the band for years. I kidded him about the near
heart attacks he gave me the times when the Tams arrived just in time for a
show. If you really want to see a blur... band arrives at 7:45 for an 8:00 start and at 8:00, it's show time. It could only happen in the Hey Baby Days.

Charles seemed more reserved when talking about the Hey Baby Days than others but when he spoke I listened intently as he offered great nuggets of info most
of which is included in the book.

When
people think of the Tams show, they think not just of the vocals and all the
great tunes but of the high energy the Tams brought to the stage, their high
stepping chorography.

According
to Charles and Otis, it wasn’t always that way. “In fact at first we just stood
up at the mic and sang, sort of like a doo wop group. However, when we first
toured with James Brown and he saw our stage show, he said if you’re going to
tour with me… you gotta dance" … so they did.

Charles said he and the group were shocked when the group arrived at a booking at a South Carolina club in the 60s only to find out it was an "all-white" club. And as they say, "The Crowd Went Wild". The Tams music had the right sound and beat for the shaggers and there in the Carolinas , the Tams' music hit its zenith.

The
Beach Music world is going to miss Charles Pope. His contributions were
numerous. Charles once said, ”Beach Music has been good to us.” Beach Music is a
music genre some music pundits continue to insist doesn’t exist. They mostly reside in places other than the South. Beach Music has a special set of heroes that rarely get a lot of press. At the head of this class sits Charles Pope and the Mighty Tams.

God
Bless Charles Pope!

Footnote:
The Party To End All Parties is the ultimate Beach Music revival of greats that
have passed on. A scene of the
great spectacle that took place in a small town auditorium in South Georgia is
on the cover of ”The Heeey Baby Days of
Beach Music.” All the greats of the genre that have passed on are visible
on stage while their still living cotemporaries may be there but are blurred
and unidentifiable. Only those that have passed-on get a ticket to attend while
others in attendance received a special invitation.

Monday, July 1, 2013

NINETY-SIX REASONS WHY YOU HAVE TO LOVE THE SWINGIN’
MEDALLIONS IN The Hey Baby Days

1.Most of the “youngsters” in the band have been
Swingin’ Medallions longer than the “original” members who recorded the
iconic party song. However, once a Medallion, always a Medallion just ask all
96 former members of the band that reunited this past Friday night at the birth
place of the Swingin’ Medallions, NINETY SIX, SOUTH CAROLINA although the
county seat of Greenwood County is the official home town.

John McElrath , Leader and Founder, Greg Haynes, unofficial band historian, and Brent Fortson, an original saxophonist and a legend of the UGA chapter of Phi Delta Theta

2.The mayor of Ninety Six South Carolina gave keys
to the city to all 96 members of the band that attended. He is apparently a man
of strong faith so we looked around a found a copy of “The Heeey Baby Days” and
presented him one of those…I asked if he had any spare keys but he was fresh
out. He did say that the book would go on display at the visitors' center.

3.The mayor also made mayoral proclamations
honoring the band and their contributions to the city. It was apparentthat the entire population turned out for the
gig and with such a gala and the good time had by all,the mayor should have no trouble being
re-elected.

4.When I told Perrin Gleaton, the first guitarist
for the band, that it’s all about the horns, I thought he might hit me.
Although known for their horns, he reminded me that not one horn was raised on "Double Shot." Funny, but "Jimbo Doares said the same thing .

5.Perrin appeared on the band's first single on Dot
Records, “I Want To Be Your Guy.” He left prior to “Double Shot” and was replaced by Jimbo Doares. Fred
Pugh and Perrin were successful with other Carolina bands. Both were Swingin' Friday night. There are still folks who remember
Fred from the Old Hickory in PC and his “Night Train” routine.

6.There were some that were not present and they
were sorely missed including those who are deceased: including: Steve Caldwell – saxophone, Charlie Webber-trumpet, Johnny Cox- Saxophone ; David Eastler-Drums, Gerald Polk-saxophone Membersof their families or representatives were
there to receive copies of the proclamation.

7.Other living members of the band that were of
the 60s that were not able to attendwere Jim Doares- Guitar, Grainger
“Brother” Hines- Saxophone , Ron Nobles - Drums and Bobby Taylor. Five of the
Eight that recorded “Double Shot” were on stage. Many who played with the band when it was
known as The Medallions were present ( 1963-64).

8.Dale Williams, Medallions lead vocalist in the
80s voice sounded as good as he did back
then… however… the rain came and the third set was cancelled so we did not get to
hear Dale sing “I’m Going To Make You Mine” a composition that was written by
another Medallion from the 80s, Hazen Bannister.

96 If you like horns, there were plenty, with
as many as seven going full blast at one time... If everyone who has claimed to have played saxophone at one time or another for the band actually did and were present Friday night, they would have not been able to fit them in the Georgia Dome.

Note: we have taken some license in recounting the events
that took place in Ninety Six South Carolina this past Friday night. e.g We
really didn’t count all the band members that were present… there may have been
more than Ninety Six including members of the band that were “Medallions”
before the band even added “Swingin”to
Medallions. These gentlemen appeared to very hip so we now know that adding
“Swingin” in 1965 had little to so with lifestyle. I remember stories from
those who saw the band in their early days especially at UGA. They never refer
to the band as the “Swingin’ Medallions”, but rather as “The Medallions”. This
is proof positive that there are folks from the 60s that were actually there
and do remember.

Hack Bartley and Carroll Bledsoe

Shawn McElrath, Unidentified Fan, John McElrath ;with her 1967 album with seven of the eight original members' signatures

Only one signature missing from this one

Memorabilia from an Atlanta based collector includes album cover with signatures of all eight members who recorded "Double Shot", an original 45 RPM on the "For Sale" label plus signed Tams' album with signatures of Joe Pope, Charles Pope, Robert Smith, Horace "Sonny" Key and Joe Jones

Fred Pugh explains to fan about how he was able to wow the fans back at the Old Hickory in 1964 with "Night Train" while Carroll Bledsoe looks on... perhaps thinking that Fred's memory is a little fuzzy.

Mayor of Ninety Six makes presentation to John McElrath

Brent Fortson Signs two copies of "The Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music." With his and Joe Morris's signature, we now have two books with autographs of all the members of the band and several hundred other signatures of members of bands from the 60s.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Hi, I noticed the forum posting about Willie Williams and
the Tones / Persians ... Didn't this group record "A
Star"/"Peanut Man" on Kennedy Records.... I'd love to find out
more about this group... do you know the year it was recorded and who the
members on the record were and where Kennedy Records was based? I'd love to see
a label scan of the 45.. thanks so much

Steve

Steve,

I am not sure but I am going to
copy Tommie James who I think was a member of the Persians. If not, he may able
to give some guidance. I think that Willis Blume at the Willis Blume Agency was
also a member.Of course, there were several groups of Persians as there were
Villagers, etc.

Thanks

Greg

Hi Greg & Steve,

The Persians from Columbia, SC did indeed
evolve from a group started by Willie Williams around 1965 when he and some
fellow classmates in a choral group at Benedict College in Columbia, SC began
performing in small clubs and other venues under the name "Willie &
The Tones".

As the group added instrumentalists,
the name was changed to "The Persians" around 1966-67. Wille said
they were learning about ancient "Persia" in a world history class,
and that's where the name came from. I believe Willis Blume was the drummer for
a short time, and Fred Ferguson was one of the original vocalists.

"P-Nut" man was probably
recorded in 1966, but I don't know who was on the recording besides Wille, and
don't know anything about "Kennedy Records".

Willie was no longer in the group
when I joined as their first keyboardist in mid-1967 and the vocalists were
Fred Ferguson & Elvin Tobin, guitarist was Charles Stafford, on bass was
Bill Miles, and drummer was Tom Graham.

Charles left in 1968 to tour with
Billy Stewart, Tom Graham got drafted in 1969 and was sent to Vietnam, Elvin
Tobin moved to Atlanta, and I left at the end of 1970 to help form the new band
"Second Nature". Charles and Tom were also original members of Second
Nature.

Fred & Bill kept The Persians
going into the mid 1990's. There was a Persians reunion several years ago, and
all the former members (that could be found) were invited, including Willie.
Attached is a picture that Willie put together for that event, and these images
were put onto some souvenir T-shirts. The picture on the right shows The
Persians in 1968 when the members were Fred, Elvin, Charles, Bill, Tom, and me.
At the reunion, that combination posed for a recreation of this photo, and a
group photo was taken of all the former members who were there.

Leading up to the reunion, we had
several rehearsals. Many former members attended & performed in
chronological order of when they were in the group beginning with Wille who
still sounded great, as did the other vocalists and all who backed them on
instruments.

A great time was had by all the
performers as well as a packed house on a Sun. afternoon at a club in downtown
Columbia.

I have copied Bill Miles on this,
and he may still have Willie's current contact info. He and/or Willie may be
the only ones I know who can answer your questions about the creation of the
"P-Nut Man" recording.

Musically, TJ

Tommie James

Second Nature

Camden, SC

More about
The Persians from Bill Miles

We were playing at the
KOR club in five points around 1964 and one night Jack Maynard and I were
talking about R&B music and decided to find some black singers to make it
sound right.

The plan was to go to
the talent show at Benedict college and give a listen. I had to go to a meeting
that night and when I got there it was almost over but Maynard had heard the
Tones and we got together with them and played our first gig at the Wits Inn on
Devine. That was in 1965.

We only played a few
jobs and the group fell apart. The Tones had already recorded that record.

in 1966 I was playing
with a group at a club on Sumter street. And the vocals were not cutting it so
we got in touch with Willie and they came to the rescue and Charles Stafford
was with them.

I joined Stafford and we
brought in Willis Blume and we went to work at the KOR club in five points. At
that time The Tones had changed their name to the Persians.

Later we replaced Willis
with Frank Macaulay then Tommy Graham. Over the years we had the pleasure of
working with a lot of musicians and I still keep in touch with some of them.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

The bands that are featured in “The Heeey Baby Days of Beach
Music” are ones that rocked with soul.
Generally these were not four or five piece bands that were the norm of
the 60s but rather they were aggregations totaling seven or more musicians with horns. These bands were sought out as backing bands when the
great R&B artists performed because much of the great soul music was enhanced by the sound of horns. Athens’ great
horn band of the era was the Jesters who backed such artists as Marvin Gaye,
Jackie Wilson and others.

So when UGA put on its monster R&B Homecoming show in
Sanford Stadium in October of 1963, The Divots of Roanoke, Virginia provided
the sound. The vocals were provided by the who’s who of R&B music of that
era. Much of the music played at that concert was what we now refer to as
“Beach Music.” You might say that the first concert in Sanford Stadium was a Beach
Music concert and get no argument from this vantage point. This would only be
fitting for ground once trod upon by such greats as Trippi, Sinkwich, Walker,
Tarkington and others.

The who’s who of R&B performed for that homecoming
concert and it would be regrettable if the existence of the event were lost to
obscurity. Do names like Jerry Butler, Major Lance, Mary Wells, Irma Thomas,
King Curtis, Gene Chandler, Don Covay & The Goodtimers, and Darlene Love.
Don Gardner/ Dee Dee Ford ring any bells out there?

During the research period for “the Heeey Baby Days of Beach
Music’ we kept hearing the name of a band from Virginia called the Divots. Even
the premier bands of the Carolinas sang the praise of the Divots so we spent
the time and presented much about the Divots in the book. “The Roanoker”
magazine graciously granted us permission to reprint an article about the band
titled ”Roanoke’s Greatest Band Ever” by John Pugh. What a great read.

“July 19643. The Rolling Stones’ first tour of America. The
music world is astonished as the Stones sell out 60,000 seat Shea Stadium. “An
entire stadium sold out for one show!” the press blares. “Never in the history of
live performances has anything like this ever happened.”

Never in New York, perhaps. Never such a humongous crowd.
But flashback almost a year earlier. October 1963. Homecoming, University of
Georgia, Athens Gee-Ay. A nine-act rhythm-and-blues bill sells out 40,000 seat
Sanford Stadium. It features Major Lance, Jerry Butler, Don Covay & The
Goodtimers, Irma Thomas, Darlene Love. Mary Wells, King Curtis, Gene Chandler,
and Don Gardner/Dee Dee Ford . And backing the whole show is a bunch of white
boys from Roanoke, Vee-Ay who could play rhythm-and-blues music with such feeling
and drive that at one time or another they backed every major R&B act that
toured the South in the 60s. A group that attained almost legendary status
among its followers. A group called the Divots.

The Divots influenced many bands and among them, The In_Men
Ltd. who first played at UGA in 1966 for Chi Omega and were then kidnapped by
the Kappa Alpha Order for their front lawn parties. Unfortunately, the Divots
never recorded but the In-Men Ltd. did record. In fact a 20-minute medley from
1968 appears on the recent release The In-Men Ltd. Legacy Sessions along with
14 additional recordings made in 2006 including the No. 1 Beach Music song of 2007, "Rhythm" The CD available at www.abebooks In-Men Ltd. Legacy Sessions published
by Rare Reads

The upcoming concert featuring Jason Aldean will be a winner,
deservedly so, but the honor of being the first concert at Sanford Stadium
belongs to a group R&B greats.

If you were one of the 40,000 that attended the concert, and you remember, send your comments. Many say that if you remember the 60s, you weren't there. That adage is not always true ?

Also, it was the era you could take photos without trepidation or getting signed releases so if got a few
poloroids, stuck in a drawer, e-mail them, we’ll post.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

NEW From the
publisher of “The Heeey Baby Days of
Beach Music”

January 17, 2013

We are pleased to
announce the release of the “Legacy Sessions” of the In-Men Ltd., a show
and dance band based in Burlington, North Carolina in the latter part of the
60s. The band enjoyed immense popularity and were often chosen to back major
R&B acts that came to perform at
popular venues of the era such as Myrtle Beach’s, “Beach Club”, Greensboro’s
“The Castaways” and colleges throughout the South.Their story is detailed in a 20-page booklet
that accompanies the 15- cut CD. Many of
the In-Men were students at Elon College, which is now Elon University. In
2006, members of the band had a reunion and as a result of the reunion, the
urge to record ignited several sessions at Charlotte’s StudioEast resulting in updated
versions of classics from the 1960s to the 2000s. A few of the cuts were
previously released including “Rhythm” . The song
was No. 1 on the Beach Music chart from March of 2007 for 17 months, which is
not too bad for a band that got back together to reminisce. Of note, “Rhythm”
written by Curtis Mayfield of The Impressions and was originally recorded by
Major Lance with the Impressions providing background vocals. “Rhythm” as
recorded by the In-Men Ltd. features Geoff Smith on lead vocals and yes! those
same Impressions sans Mayfield providing background vocals.

Although the In-Men
Ltd.no longer tour, their legacy
remains strong and the sound that so many enjoyed remains alive through the
“Legacy Sessions.” If you remember the great horn sound of the In-Men Ltd., and
the equally strong vocals, this musical experience is for you!

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Need to post more as we continually get interesting emails even though the book was published over five years ago . Sorry that the books are all gone... BUT we are considering making the book available as an E Book ... let us know what you think.

For a look at the Entire Original Villagers From Union, SC, Click on the following link

The Original Villagers group is already listed on your internet site, but I wanted to send some updated information about the group. In 2010 we got back together for only the 2nd time in 40 yrs and performed at the Party in the Pines Festival in Whitmire, SC and then again in Oct 2010 at the Oktober Fest in Newberry, SC. Now we are looking at the possibilites of going into a studio.

I have attached some photos of the events plus a couple old pics I came across in case you are interested. The 1st photo is a group shot at the Party in Pines, 2nd shot a stage shot there. The 3rd shot is Newberry in Oct and the last two are 1967 shots. Appreciate the site and the book and the history with it. Still look at it quite regularly. Will you ever release another cd? If so, would like to add some music. If you have time you can visit our site at:

We were aware of other Villager groups around and that's why we changed our names to Original Villagers way back in the sixties. We had already built ourselves to much of a following to change the entire name. We played mostly in Georgia, Florida and Alabama, more than we did in South Carolina. Thanks for posting.

Ken

Ken:

There is not question in my mind that the Original Villagers as listed in the Hey Baby Days directory was a great band back in the day and the fact that they are back together and looking to record is great.Visit their site below by clicking on the link and enjoy.Of course we need to mention that there were other great bands back in the day that were called the Villagers including at least twoother Villager bands from South Carolina. (Sumter and Charleston) and from what I’ve heard , they were all great bands.You have to figure from looking at the photos above that the Villagers had a great horn section .

And don’t forget Cliff Ellis’s band of Villagers from Marianna, Florida which had a regional hit with their cover of the Tams’ “Laugh It Off” How many other bands used the name Villagers back in the Hey Baby Days ?

But you need to click on the YouTube above for the Union South Carolina Villagers. They are truly a band from the Hey Baby Days

MASTER SOUND Atlanta, Georgia

On Mar 30, 2012, at 11:17 AM, Larry Watts wrote:

Hello, Greg.

I've lived in Atlanta for over 20 years but just recently stumbled upon the old address of Master Sound, home of all those Classics IV tracks and some of the Tommy Roe that, as a child, I grew to love from the 8-Track tapes my parents constantly played. I go back that area every day and stopped by yesterday. I realize that street addresses change as neighborhoods grow so I started searching on the net for any pictures of the old location but didn't find one. With that in mind, I turn to you to ask if the studio was situated across the street from the parking lot entrance of Brookhaven Marta, on the corner of Apple Valley Road and Fernwood Circle, in the spot that is now condos or apartments.

Thank you for your time and for your interesting blog.

Regards.

Larry Watts

Larry

The studio was located in what had been an elementary school that had been closed and purchased by Bob Richardson and or Bill Lowery. I am not sure about the actual ownership but it was acquired for the Marta station not sure exactly it's location on the Marta property but the address was Fernwood Circle. I visited Ric Cartey and Cotton Carrier a couple of times and my most vivid or possibly blurred memories include seeing a white haired man leaning over the boards in the studio ( Bill Lowery) , a door that had had a glass panel upon which Buie-Cochran was written, a former classroom with a single desk (Ric Cartey's) behind which a gold record was mounted on the wall (Young Love) and Ric's secretary Millie. I only visited a couple of times so I could be mistaken so I will forward to Butch Lowery and Buddy Buie and perhaps get some additional facts.

What would be really interesting is to get a list of all the great music created in that building... Just think of the artists and performers that hung out Master Sound: The Tams, Swingin Medallions, Classics IV, James Gang, Candymen, Billy Joe Royal, Tommy Roe, Roemans, Ray Stevens, Joe South, Ray Whitley, Emory Gordy Jr to mention a few.

Hope things are going well with you. I enjoy having your great book on my coffee table every day.

I am putting together a portfolio for my daughter and granddaughter. I noticed some pictures of myself on your web site of when I attended the HBD book debut and signing at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Macon. I would greatly appreciate copies of the photos that I am in. I saw 3 on the web site but, if you have additional ones, I would be interested in them also. I have grey hair and I'm wearing a black leather vest. I stand out well in the photos.

Please let me know how I can get copies them. If they can be sent by email, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Kim Venable

Drummer for the K-otics and the Classics IV

Sent from my iPhone

Kim:

Be happy to help, I remember chatting with you and reminising about the good old days. Glad that your sharing all this with your children, otherwise, they may never know how truly great those days were ... when virtually every national guard armory and teen club had a group of future rock 'n roll stars playing every Saturday night.

Regards

Greg

On Mar 24, 2012, at 3:48 PM, alohabyana@aol.com wrote:

Hi Gregg,

I've been catching up on the posts on your blog. Looks like you had a great time in my hometown, Dothan at the Music Fest in 2010. I have wonderful memories of dancing to those Dothan bands, the Webs and the James Gang at our high school dances.

Recently, while watching a special on Pop, Rock, and Soul on PBS, I got an idea. I wondered if the guy responsible for the wonderful specials on PBS would be interested in doing a show on Beach Music. I did some research and found that this guy is T. J. Lubinsky, the executive producer for many wonderful specials on music from the 1950's and '60's on PBS, which I am sure you have seen. He is a Pittsburgh radio host. I am going to write him a letter. If I can get him interested, do you have an extra book that you could send him? I know it's a long shot, but I know it would be a very interesting show.

Are you working on a follow up book to "Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music" and are there any additional CD's in the works? I am enjoying my 17 CD's very much!

I had a great time in Dothan. It was truly one of the highlights of all the events I have been fortunate to have participated in since the book was published. To be backstage and talk with those great songwriters was a thrill. Hearing co-composer J.R. Cobb do his version of "Be Young Be Foolish Be Happy" reminded me of that night back in 1970 when Ray Whitley sat in the living room of the Phi Delt house at UGA and did his rendition of that same song he cowrote with Cobb.

I actually working on a couple of projects one of which I will announce on the blog with the posting of this email.

Within the next couple of months we plan to release the cuts made by the In-Men ltd. during a reunion in 2006. These cuts are extraordinary and should have wide body appeal. The CD will include the 1968 medley that was edited from a body of music the band recorded for Curtis Mayfield in 1968 with the vocals of Mickey Combs and Freddy Owens. If you have not heard it go to YouTube and search for In-Men Ltd Medley

In addition to the medley are the cuts made in 2006 in Charlotte which features the vocals of Geoff Smith, son of keyboardist Moose Smith. In addition there is a wonderful cover of "At Last" by Geoff's sister Suzanne . Etta would be proud. Other lead vocals include Skip Hinshaw a former lead singer of both the In-Men and the Monzas with a riveting version of "I'm losing You" There are two cuts featuring the great Eddie Middleton whose resume includes King David & the Slaves (With Randall Bramblett) R.C. & the Moonpies (with Mickey Thomas) and the award winning Christian groupNewSong. Moose Smith's "High Heel Sneakers" winds up the CD. A full listing of the tracks is forthcoming

I don't think you anticipated such a lengthy reply but it was an opportunityto post some news

Regards

Greg

Sent from my iPhone

Greg,

WOW! Thanks for such a quick response.

I'm really excited about your new projects. I saw that post about the music that was discovered that the band recorded for Curtis Mayfield and made a note to check it out on YouTube but haven't yet. Can't wait for the CD you're working on.

We were so lucky to grow up in such a special era because they just don't make music like that any more!

Hopefully, I can get the executive producer of those PBS shows, T. J. Lubinsky interested in doing a show on Beach Music. Do you have an extra book to send him if I can get him interested? Please let me know

Please keep me posted. I listen to Beach Music every day. When I jog, I listen to the Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music CD's and when I am home I listen to www.949thesurf.com. If you haven't checked this Myrtle Beach station out, you should. You are probably already familiar with it.

I wanted to put a 21 minute medley made in 1968 by the In-Men Ltd. but couldn’t connects all the dots… aka the wma file extension with the photos etc. Some of my early tries are on the blog but it’s hard to download and cuts off the last 5 minutes of the medley. Now, life is easier thanks to Gregg who directed me to Ted Tatman of Charleston, SC. Ted did a masterful job of putting photos of the band with the music so that now after over 40 years, the world can appreciate the sounds of the great show band that hailed from Burlington, NC.